BEIRUT — Unidentified militants ambushed a Lebanese Army patrol in the country’s restive northeast Tuesday, killing six soldiers and wounding one, the Army and security sources said.

According to an Army statement, a military unit was ambushed by a “terrorist group” in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek around 5:10 p.m. during a routine patrol.

The ensuing clashes between the Army and militants killed six soldiers and wounded one, the statement added. Militant casualties were not known.

Security sources said the patrol came under fire in the village of Tal al-Sayl on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek.

The troops attempted to communicate with central command in Ras Baalbek to inform them of the attack, but the communication was suddenly interrupted, sources said.

The affiliations of the militants were not immediately known. But the Lebanese Army has routinely clashed with jihadi militants from both the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front and the “Islamic State” on the eastern and northeastern border.

The sources said the Lebanese army shelled areas near Tal al-Sayl where the militants are expected to be hiding.